The Internet is Worse Than Ever – Now What?
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In 2022 nearly half of Americans expected a civil war in the next few years, one in five now believes political violence is justified. And it is not just the US but around the world. People increasingly see themselves as part of opposing teams.
There are many different reasons for this, but one gets blamed a lot: social media. Social media divides us, makes us more extreme and less empathetic, it riles us up or sucks us into doom scrolling, making us stressed and depressed. It feels like we need to touch grass and escape to the real world.
New research shows that we might have largely misinterpreted why this is the case. It turns out that the social media internet may uniquely undermine the way our brains work but not in the way you think.
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nuh uh
Firsttttt
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I’m glad someone is acknowledging this. Exploring the internet has become more stressful and discouraging to me lately because of people’ behavior and attitude, and all the negativity, propaganda, and algorithmic curation that’s constantly being pushed.
I must say… Arguing so much with people has lead me to open some socials way less frequently because then I have to keep arguing. And it helped me a lot since now I’ve just come out from a period of extreme boredom in which I was on TikTok a lot waiting for something to happen
its not the internet thats is the issue, its how people are using it eg sical media. I tend to use the interent to learn things (alot through youtube), instead of news reading and that god awful thing they call reddit, it tends to be less toxic when you arnt interacting with other people.
My brain is stupid also..
So I would recommend Wisecrack channel, they also talk about this stuff but from philosophical point of view.
“One model that seemed to work well was the pre social media internet OLD people might remember.”
*SHOTS FIRED*
Great video, and I enjoyed the ad at the end.
First reply never thought I would be first to a comment made by a YouTuber with 11 million subscribers
Damnit. I’m old.
I’m young, and I remember those day.
The days when life was simple, and not so anxiety inducing.
@@randomspacefan didnt even notice!! love the videos they did with the slow mo guys
It feels really good that I was born at a time, not too early or late, where I could see and understand the entire steady transition of internet and technology towards damnation.
I can’t believe my nostalgia for the old internet is actually justified
I miss when each website catered to a niche. It made it so much easier to interact with higher quality content and creations.
This is pretty much how discord is used these days. At least the smaller more niche discord servers.
It’s just unfortunate that it’s relying on one specific company instead of individually run forums.
@@NihongoWakannaiKurzgesagt steals my animations for views and have gotten filthy rich off my hard work
a problem is that social media is for profit, and everything will be adjusted for what is profitable
you can’t say what they don’t want you to say, only what they do want you to
sometimes, nostalgia doesn’t blind you and it actually was better, new isn’t always better
The bit about the old internet and forums really brought a tear to my eye. I remember vividly the discussions that were had, and how engaging it was to talk to like-minded people across the world. You actually made friends with the people you engaged with frequently. I really miss those days.
Yeah, and there was no ban/ignore button for each user. Only moderators and administrators can do that, so you’ll face a diversity of opinions whether you like it or not.
As someone who has spent the last decade or so actively seeking smaller communities related to my interests, what I find time and again is how discouraging it can feel to find them. Even once you’ve found a place you love, these communities are much less stable, and prone to collapse if the small (often a single person!) leadership team undergoes change. Finding a place that is small enough to feel close-knit, yet active enough not to feel like a ghost town has been another challenge.
This video did make me realize the *reason* I’ve sought out these bright places on the internet, and helps me feel that even though it’s difficult the effort is well worth it. On that note, if anyone who might be reading knows of any cozy art communities I’m all ears 👀
Hi, if you find one please let me know. I was reading your comment and was like I hope they’re talking about an art community, and then I reached the end, so yes definitely in need of one.
I believe that this line is extremely fine because, in the end, online communities continue to be, at their core, virtual, perennial, without robust social solidification in real life. When you’re born in your homeland, you need to at least share space and infrastructure with your neighbors, in addition to the fact that isn’t trivial and easy to move if that community displeases you, not to mention the consequences if you start to act maliciously and be a burden and a nuisance to that community.
In virtual communities, except in extremely specific circumstances, it is extremely easy to leave it and change to someone else, like changing your socks. And as you mentioned, this causes countless communities that were previously welcoming to collapse in the snap of a finger.
One thing that could mitigate this would be for these communities to have at least one physical social anchor to cling to, such as fan clubs and hobby groups have with its regional HQs, keeping their virtual reach active, but at the same time having a channel for face-to-face interaction on a regional level that allowed real and direct bonds to form. But of course, I’m aware that this is easier said than done, especially when we have more and more people in remote places and with preferences that diverge from their local community, or when we throw introverted people into the mix.
I can relate to this, but I also find out real world communities can crumble really easily just like the way you described, maybe this is just how human works, we change our minds and move on.
I totally agree with your comment. And although I did find my small communities after much research (not art related though, sorry! though I’d still like to jump on that train you are in!), it wasn’t quick. However it was maybe easy. All I did was keep on clicking on recommended videos on YouTube til I found people who I resonated with the most who had very little views. Eventually I joined their community and the rest is history. I guess I always sought after small communities cuz I saw my older brother form long lasting bonds irl with people he met online. Regardless, good luck on finding your happy place! Keep me updated!
Mastodon / Fedi is something I found that works – you can join a server tailored to your interests but can still interact with those outside of it. It’s pretty much the exact solution proposed in the video.
This explains really well as to why i always prefered smaller communities on discord. Whenever a discord server i was in grew too large because the owner changed the focus of the server i left due to the negativity that started to form and eventually killing the server. A small server focused on one certain game is way friendlier and welcoming than a large server that has members from multiple games.
I already deleted that shit long ago. I had a similar story, but I felt enslaved. I realized I had a functioning life outside of it.
I remember loving forums or sites with “affiliate” banners, you could jump site to site! Social media was a mistake
The internet and its consequences have devastaded the human race
wth why are you here pelo (btw, latin fan here!!!)
It’s surprising how humanity made a double-edged sword and didn’t anhilate themselves yet :/
ARE YOU READY FOR ROUND TWO!?
Not from my POV, it saved me from death 😀
It’s kinda nice after hearing for so many years “you’re isolated and sheltered in your worldviews” that studies have found the opposite. Personally, I’m regularly taken aback by very different and sometimes radical worldviews to mine on internet websites, comments and social media. It makes sense as when I’m with family/friends it feels like a break as their worldviews feel less deeply contrasting than the internet.
Didn’t expect to see you here! The internet really can serve as a breeding ground for radical opinions.
Honestly that’s really good for you cause there’s lots of people who isolate themselves and forget about what going on around them
exactly.
I mean, it’s still true to an extent, just not because of the internet or algorithms like some want to believe, but because many of us naturally live in different parts of the world with different standards and cultures.
But again, there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just internet bringing up disagreements about things most of us wouldn’t even bother to think about otherwise.
Oh hello Phantom! Out of all youtubers I watch I would have never expected to see ya here. Pleasant surprise regardless^^
I remember that back in the 2010’s I didn’t really feel alone or bored on the internet, I was always talking to someone in forum chats or playing flash games that were free, the internet used to be a much simpler place but with the evolution of social networks and the automatic algorithms that changed, now it is a very complicated place and everything mentioned in the video happens, I left social networks because it had really reached a point where they were a hell hole, now my online activity is only YouTube, Google and Steam and since they are not social networks or forums, I actually feel alone online even though I know very well that I am never alone on the internet
Well, you can follow some niches! Like joining discord servers, supporting smaller creators, and engaging in trends. It’s not for everyone, though.
Exactly this! I’m only 22, but I vividly remember when the internet in general felt like such an insignificant part of everyone’s lives. And whenever I did go on the internet, it was always to a curated selection of niche websites that helped share specific interests. Blogs were one, but also various websites for flash games (with limited online functionality) and educational sites related to what we studied in school. Even the search engines I used felt more varied between Bing, Google, Yahoo, and whatever else my folks preferred.
Then YouTube and other social media sites (like Facebook, though even that had a strict age limitation at the time) slowly became larger and larger until they felt like the ACTUAL home pages of peoples browsers. And naturally, when that kind of open social media becomes so prominent in your life (to the point where you spend half your time socializing online), you’re eventually going to become comfortable simplifying people down to whatever opinions they express there. Opinions are, by in large, the _only_ thing you see of most humans you interact with, and thus, that’s all they are in your mind. An opinion. And if it’s a strong OPOSING opinion, then they are your enemy. Even if you know full well what you’re seeing isn’t a full picture of who those people are.